Sorry it took so long for chapter 2 everyone! Hoping to start on a regular posting schedule now!
Chapter 2
I enter my hideout and plop down on the makeshift bench. I set the beer bottles on the makeshift table in front of me and hold out the gun and pill bottle. I set the pill bottle down before taking a swig of beer and picking it back up again. I tip the pill bottle upside down and look at how many pills are inside. Probably 20-30 pills in there, I think to myself. Should be enough to do the trick. I sigh and take another swig of beer. I didn't even leave a note for Mom…should I do that before I do it? I look down at the half empty bottle of beer in my hand. No…I've been dead to them for the past four years. She has to see this coming.
I open the gun's chamber and look inside. Fully loaded, I think to myself before popping it back into place. I grip it a moment before picking up the bottle of pills. I suppose this is it, I think as I start to open the bottle. I hear a shout and freeze, gripping the gun in my hand. I hear more voices and I stand up, sliding the gun through my belt as I walk outside to investigate. I see four guys circling this girl about my age being led by a fifth guy who is yelling at the girl. It doesn't take me long to recognize the voice. What is Nathan Prescott doing with that girl? I think to myself. I sneak closer to better hear what's going on.
"Please just let me go," the girl pleads as her eyes dart for ways to escape. She stops walking momentarily as one of Nathan's posse grabs her arm and drags her along. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. I just want to be with my family and make sure my friend is okay."
"Your friend was just another casualty of my mission," Nathan says with an evil grin on his face. What happened to him? I think to myself. "I'm going to make the world bow and you will be at the frontline of that. I just need to get you to my bunker." He stops and immediately the guys with him stop too. He turns and walks over to the girl. He lays a hand on her face, stroking it before taking a finger and picking up her chin. I sneak closer now and even at a distance can see the fear on the girl's face. I hear Nathan whisper, "You are my prize. I am never letting you go."
A cold chill runs down my spine, despite the warmth I feel from the alcohol I've drunk. I got to get her out of there, I think and before I can stop myself or even come up with a plan of action, I stand up. "Prescott," I growl as I stare daggers at him. I notice the girl whip her head around and notice me, her eyes pleading for help.
"You," Nathan growls back, narrowing his eyes. "I'm surprised you're still around, given everyone you love is dead."
"Let her go," I say glancing at the girl. "Now." I demand.
"But why?" Nathan says, almost with a laugh. "What do care about her? She's a stranger to you."
"I care that you're holding a girl against her will," I shout back. I can feel the girl's eyes on me, as if she's begging me to save her. "Let her go, or you'll regret it."
Nathan laughs and I see the girl shudder out of the corner of my eye. My normally unfeeling heart breaks for her. What has he done to her? I question to myself. Nathan turns to me and with a cold stare says, "No." He turns to one of his guys who pulls out a gun from his holster. I immediately grab my gun and fire, shooting him in the shoulder. Not bad for drunk aim. I notice a second guy grab his gun and I fire at him too, my bullet sinking into his forearm. A third guy charges me and I shoot him in the knee. I look up at the guy still holding the girl and I aim, shooting him in his arm. The girl immediately darts to me as I hear Nathan growl, "You will not ruin this for me. As he grabs his gun, I shoot at his hands, knocking the gun out of them and piercing both. I watch him crumple to the ground like his guys did before him. He pants, "You won this round, Price. But I will get her back. I promise you that." I grab the girl's hand and drag her away, running as fast as I could to my truck.
"Hop in!" I yell to her as I open the driver's side door. She slides in next to me as I start the engine and race back towards my house. I take several deep breaths, trying to get my heartrate back under control to possibly think clearly. I suppose I've had too many beers for that.
"Thank you," a small voice says. I quickly tear my eyes from the road and notice the girl looking at me.
"Y-you're welcome," I stutter, not even sure what to say. "I just know that Nathan Prescott means bad news and I didn't want anyone else hurt because of him." I let out a sigh, trying to stuff any feelings deep inside. Keeping my eyes on the road, I ask, "What did he want with you anyway?" I flinch, realizing moments later how insensitive that sounded. Who knows what she's been through, I think to myself. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to come across sharp," I say sheepishly.
"It's okay," the girl says softly, not angry or hurt. She sighs, "Can we just get to someplace safe first?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course," I say. "I was driving towards my house, is that okay?" I briefly take my eyes off the road to make eye contact with her. I hope she knows that I just want to help her, I think to myself.
"That's fine," the girl says. "I suppose the fact you risked your life to save me means you're probably trustworthy." She gives me a small smile, "Besides, if you have even a pillow and shower, I think I'd be sold."
My eyes widen, "You haven't had a place to sleep?"
She shakes her head, "I mean I've had a concrete floor and the floorboard of a car but that's about it. And neither have been very warm." She rubs her bare arms and looks down.
I snarl a bit. Prescott deserves to rot, I think. My eyes soften as I look over to her for a second, "I definitely got you covered on the bed and shower. I can throw in some food too. My mom-"
"Food," she says longingly. "It's been so long since I've had it that I almost forgot about it."
"He didn't feed you either?!" I almost yell, my blood boiling. She shakes her head and I grip the steering wheel. I furrow my eyebrows and shake my head before softening my face and smiling, "Then I'm glad my mom is a cook at a diner. You need some good food in you."
She gives a soft smile before softly speaking, "Can I ask you something?"
"Uh…sure, of course," I say a little confused.
"What's your name?" she asks sheepishly.
"I'm an idiot," I say out loud. "I'm so sorry. I guess I really did have too much to drink. I'm Chloe," I reach my hand out to shake, briefly taking my eyes off the road while keeping my other hand on the wheel.
"I'm Aviana but you can call me Avi," she says as she takes my hand and shakes it.
"Aviana," I repeat out loud. "I've never heard that before."
"I've only met one person with my name ever," Avi says with a chuckle. "My dad came up with it when he met a hotel receptionist in Italy while working for the White House."
"The White House?!" I ask surprised. "Was your dad a spy or something?"
"No, though all my friends ask that," Avi says with an eye roll. "He worked for White House communications so the president would have secure communications wherever he went. My dad worked under Reagan, the first Bush, and a year of Clinton."
"That's so cool! Your dad sounds awesome," I say with a slight pang in my voice. I take a breath before asking, "What does he do now?"
"He did do internet security for the Navy for a while," she answers. I whip my head around which makes her chuckle a little before adding, "But he's retired now so he just stays at home and helps my mom with my little brother and sister. They're three and six, my parents adopted them. My mom stays home too, but she grooms dogs one day a week as her sort of hobby."
"Your parents sound like a couple on House Hunters," I say with a chuckle. Avi laughs and I let out a sigh.
"What about your parents?" she asks and I flinch. She seems to notice and says, "I'm sorry, I just-"
"You're okay," I say with a sigh. "My mom works at the diner and my stepdad is head of security for the prestigious school here. My dad…he died almost…almost ten years ago now."
"I'm so sorry Chloe," she says with sympathy in her voice. I glance over and notice her soft eyes for a moment before turning back to the road.
"Don't be," I say with no emotion. "You didn't ram your semi-truck into him." I squeeze my eyes shut for a second and sigh, forcing any feelings back down that had started to rise up. When I open my eyes, I notice that we're coming up on my road. "Hey," I say with a smile. "We're almost home." She gives me a smile as she wraps her arms around herself. I know that look…she's hurting, I think to myself as I hesitantly place a hand on her shoulder. She flinches a little before looking back over at me and leaning into the touch. I gently rub her shoulder until we pull into the driveway. I throw the truck in park and look over at her, "Let's get you showered and rested and we'll feed you in the morning." She simply nods as she gets out of the truck and follows me to the door.
I fumble with my keys before finally finding the right one. "Just stay quiet. My stepdad wasn't too thrilled when I woke him up last time bringing a friend home at two in the morning." I finally get the door unlocked and slowly open it, letting Avi inside and closing it behind me. I flip the lock as I turn to her, "My room is right upstairs, follow me." I lead her upstairs into my room, which regretfully smells heavily of weed and cigarettes. Avi walks in and I can tell by her face she immediately notices the smell but tries her best to hide it.
I walk over to my dresser. "You don't seem like the type that would wear my kind of clothes but I'll find you at least something you can wear." I grab the knob of my dresser and pull it open to rummage through my drawer.
"I don't mind," Avi says sincerely. "I'd give anything for clean clothes at this point. I've been wearing these same clothes for two weeks now."
I pause for a moment looking up at her. "Nathan has had you for two weeks?" I ask stunned. She nods and my face falls. I study her for a moment; her arms covered in dark patches that I assume are dirt. Her long brown hair is a mess and I can see the smudges on her glasses from here. Her yoga pants are dingy and ripped and her teal shirt is stained and torn. My eyes focus on the faded lettering on the front. "Raise a hallelujah?" I read aloud. "What's that from?"
"It's a worship song my church sings sometimes," she answers. "It's one of my favorites."
"You go to church, huh?" I ask as I resume digging through my drawer.
"Yeah," she answers. "I'm guessing you don't?"
"What was your first clue?" I say with a chuckle. I look over to see her response and I notice her give a small chuckle and smile. "You seem pretty cool for a church-goer."
"I try not to be one of those 'damn you to hell' Christians," she says. "Jesus loves everyone and I try to be like Him."
I nod. "I can handle that," I say with a soft smile. I finally find a pair of gym shorts and a baggy t-shirt and hand them to her. "I hope these will work at least for tonight. We can go buy you some clothes if we need to tomorrow. You're welcome to my shampoo and stuff in the shower. The towels are in the drawers under the sink."
"Thank you, Chloe," Avi says with a smile. She starts to walk toward the door before asking, "Where is your bathroom?"
I facepalm. "I apparently need to sober up," I say shaking my head. "Follow me." I lead her out of my bedroom and walk her across the hall to the bathroom. "If you need anything, I'll be in my bedroom." She nods as she walks in and shuts the door. I walk towards the stairs, waiting for a moment to hear running water before running downstairs to the kitchen. I pull Mom's notepad and pen from the counter and scribble a note: Make an extra serving of breakfast tomorrow…I'll explain later. I leave the note by the stove before noticing Mom's abandoned eyeglass cloth and cleaner. She never wears her glasses anymore and I think Avi could use this, I think to myself as I snatch the glasses cleaner and cloth off the counter and head back to my room.
I set the glasses stuff on my desk and flop down on my bed. I feel the weight of the past hour and a half come over me. "I was going to kill myself," I whisper to myself. "I actually was going to do it. And then this girl just shows up out of nowhere, kidnapped by Nathan effing Prescott. The one person I want dead more than myself. This girl…saved my life. Even if she's living through her own hell right now. Maybe she's my new guardian angel…one Rachel and Max sent to watch over me." I shake my head, "She has a family at home probably worried sick about her. I at least have to try and get her home. It's the least I could do." I just continue to lay on my bed, not moving for a while.
Finally, I drag myself off the bed and change out of my jeans and jacket into shorts and a t-shirt for bed. As I'm pulling my shirt down, I hear the door creak open and I look up to see Avi walk through the door, towel wrapped around her hair with her dirty clothes in one hand and her glasses in the other. She pauses in the doorway and looks away, "I'm so sorry, I should have knocked."
"You're fine, dude," I say as I take off my beanie and toss it to the side.
"Where could I put my dirty clothes?" she asks, holding them up in her hand.
"I'll take them," I say as I grab them and toss them in my hamper. "I brought my mom's old cleaner and cloth for your glasses if you want to use them. They're on my desk."
"Thanks," she says with a smile. She walks over to the desk and sets her glasses next to the bottle of cleaner before taking the towel from her head. "Do you have a brush I could borrow?" she asks.
"Yeah," I walk over to my dresser and pick up my battered brush, pulling some blue strands from it before handing it to her. She starts untangling her hair as I take her towel, "I'm going to run hang this up in the bathroom for you." When I walk back, she sets the brush down and sits on my desk chair, picking up her glasses and spraying them and desperately trying to clean them.
"I don't know how I even began to see out of these," she says. "It'll be a miracle if I can get them clean again." I give a small chuckle before letting out a sigh. I watch her clean her finish cleaning them before trying them on again. "Oh my gosh, I can see!" she shouts quietly before taking them back off and setting them on my desk.
"I guess that miracle came true, huh?" I say jokingly as I pull an extra pillow from my closet. "You can take the bed; I'll make a pallet on the floor for me."
"You don't have to do that," Avi says. "I can sleep on the pallet; you shouldn't have to sleep on the floor. You saved my life, remember?"
Yeah…about that, I say to myself. Bringing up being suicidal is probably not something you should do in the first two hours of knowing someone. "I'm not letting you sleep on the floor," I argue. "You've been through hell. We can share the bed or I can sleep on the floor or even downstairs on the couch. But you're sleeping on this bed." I give her a firm look.
Avi sighs, "I guess we're sharing then." She sits down on one side of the bed as I sit on the other, handing her the pillow. I study her again, quickly noticing that the dark patches on her arms aren't dirt…they're bruises. They litter her arms and some even trail down to her legs. I frown as I notice her protectively holding herself. What has this poor girl gone through?
"You said you didn't want to talk until you were someplace safe," I mention. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to…but what did that freak want with you?" I give her a worried look as I notice more bruises peeking out from underneath the shirt she's wearing. Avi gives a sigh. She grips the blanket and I put a gentle hand on hers. She looks up at me and I hesitate before looking down and quickly removing my hand. I lay it palm up next to hers, inviting her to take it which she does. I squeeze it gently. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready."
Avi shakes her head. "No…I feel like I can trust you. And you're probably my only hope at safety." I give her a smile and squeeze her hand again. She takes a breath, "It was a Sunday night after church…I guess it has been two weeks ago now. I was with my best friend Amber and her fiancé, Jared. We were walking downtown to go get ice cream when Nathan jumped us out of nowhere. I don't remember what he said but he went to grab me and Jared pushed him away and stood in front of me and Amber. That's when Nathan pulled out his gun and shot Jared…a-and grabbed me and took off. I was fighting as hard as I could to get away as I heard Amber screaming mine and Jared's names. That's all I remember hearing before Nathan put a cloth over my face and I was out."
My face falls as I squeeze her hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with my thumb. "I have no idea if Jared is okay and if he's not okay, Amber I know is not okay and that terrifies me."
"We'll find out," I say reassuringly.
Avi gives a small smile before continuing, "The next week or so after that was just traveling somewhere…I guess here. We were constantly driving but I was on the floorboard of the car, usually tied up, so I couldn't see anything. We would pull off at night to some secluded place to sleep and they would let me out to go pee in a bush before they'd either tie me back up to sleep in a tent with them or lock me in the car. Either way, I didn't sleep much.
"We got to some house near here when we finally left the car. Nathan kept me in the basement some guest house on what he said was his parents' property. He kept telling me how I was his prize and his key to making this town and world bow and that my power would do great things. I don't even know what this power is…
"That's when he started to beat me. He wanted to see this 'power' I had but I had no idea what he was talking about let alone how to use it. He would kick me, hit me, knock me over the head…multiple times a day. Every time he'd get more angry and hit me harder. I'm not entirely sure one of my ribs aren't broken." She lifted her shirt a little to reveal the left side of her ribcage completely black and blue. I gasped before I could stop myself.
I growled to myself, "I'm going to kill that son of a-"
She cut me off, "That's when he wanted to take me to his 'dark room'. He said he had some things there that might bring it out in me. We were walking there when you found us."
I shake my head, "I'm so glad I found you. There's no telling what Nathan would have done to you."
"You sound like you have a history with him?" Avi questions.
I nod, making a fist with my other hand. "He…he killed the two closest people left in my life four…four years ago. One he overdosed in his dark room and one he shot in the school bathroom…he's effing insane and dangerous. And he can get away with just about anything. His family owns just about all of Lincoln County now, not just Arcadia Bay."
"Lincoln County?" Avi questions.
"Yeah," I answer. "Lincoln County, Oregon. Arcadia Bay is the smallest town-"
"Oregon?!" Avi almost shouts. I can see the panic etching itself on her face.
"What's wrong?" I ask. I furrow my brow, "where are you from?"
"Florida," she cries, her voice becoming thick with emotion. Selfishly, my heart sinks. So much for any hope of someone to fill the void everyone else left behind, I think. Avi starts to hyperventilate, "How am I going to get home?" She wraps her arms around herself as she curls up and sobs. I hesitantly but gently wrap my arms around her.
"Hey, hey, shh," I say softly as I place a hand on her head and pull her close. She's still got her arms wrapped tightly around her as I say, "I'll get you home. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I'll get you home."
"You mean it?" Avi asks looking up at me with an almost childlike hope. She reminds me of what I looked like when my dad told me we were getting Bongo, I think to myself. I look back down and nod. She hesitates a moment before taking her arms and wrapping them around me. She doesn't squeeze me, but she holds me tight as if I am the only bit of hope she has left. Maybe I am, I think to myself.
I slowly slide my body into a laying position and Avi follows, not letting go of me. Her head finds my chest and I can feel my heart beating against her temple. I let my thoughts drift, Maybe she's not my guardian angel…maybe I'm supposed to be hers. And if I was supposed to live so I could save her, then I will pour my all into protecting her and getting her home. As I feel her breaths become more even and relaxed, I resolve myself to that idea. I give her a gentle squeeze before letting myself drift off into sleep.